WEBVTT MEGA NEXT WEEKEND, FAMILIES WILL COME TOGETHER TO WALK WITH HO TO END SICKLE CELL ANEMIA. JOINING ME IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THANKS FOR COMING IN. TELL US ABOUT THE WALK YOU HAVE GOING ON. >> SICKLE CELL IS AN INHERITED BLOOD DISEASE. IT DERIVES FROM THE PARENTS HAVING THE TRAIT, BOTH THE MOTHER AND THE FATHER. THERE IS A ONE IN FOUR CHANCE FOR EVERY CHILD BORN TO THOSE PARENTS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE SICKLE CELL. MEGAN: WHAT IS THE OUTCOME FROM THAT? >> PAIN. IT STARTS ABOUT X MONTH AFTER A CHILD IS BORN. IT COULD BE SWELLING OF THE HANDS OR FEET. IT'S JUST THAT THEIR BODY IS NOT GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN TO FLOW THROUGH THEIR BLOOD VESSELS. IT CAUSES THE BLOOD VESSELS TO BE LIKE A CRESCENT SHAPE. THEY GET CLOGGED UP CAUSING PAIN. MY DAUGHTER DESCRIBES IT AS BEING STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE SAME PLACE. MEGAN: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS OUTREACH? >> IT'S THE INVISIBLE DISEASE. PEOPLE CAN HAVE IT AND NOT KNOW IT. BECAUSE OF THE APPEARANCES ARE NOT THERE. YOU CAN'T SEE PAIN ON A TRAY. HAVING CHRONIC PAIN IS SOMETHING EVERYONE DEALS WITH PERIODICALLY. WITH THAT, THERE ARE COMMON THINGS PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT THEY CAN'T DO. FOR THEM, GOING TO THE POOL AND GETTING OUT, THEY COULD HAVE AN EPISODE. THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE CHANGES SO DRASTICALLY. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE TEMPERATURE. THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN THE HEAT. MEGAN: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE DOING THIS WALK FOR HOPE. TELL US HOW IT CAME ABOUT. >> WE PARTNERED WITH ANOTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. WE WANT TO BRING AWARENESS. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT TEENAGERS KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE PARTNERS. YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOUR PARTNER HAS THE TRAIT. THAT IS HOW YOUR CHILD WILL BE WORN. WE WANT TO IMPROVE FUNDING AS WELL. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT CAN BECOME AWARE OF IT, WE CAN MAKE SURE TH WON'T HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIMES THEY WILL BE OUT OF SCHOOL OR OUT OF WORK AT WE ARE BLESSED TO BE HE IN CINCINNATI. THEY ARE LEADING THE CHARGE WITH THAT. WE NEVER STATE TO BE THAT WAY. MEGA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING US ABOUT IT. THE WALK WITH HOPE WILL BE HELD